Table 4.

Advantages and disadvantages of sterilization techniques.

Method	Method	Advantages	Disadvantages
Heat	Heat treatment	Simple, fast, effective, high penetration ability, no toxic residues	High temperature, affect the structural properties of biodegradable polymers
Irradiation	Gamma	High penetration ability, low temperature, effective, easy to control, no residue	Induce structural properties changes, dose rate is lower than electron beams, long time
	E-beam	Low temperature, easy to control, no residue, fast	Induce structural properties changes, electron accelerator needed, low penetration ability
	UV	Fast, low temperature, low cost, no toxic residues	Not effective, induce structural and biochemical properties changes of biodegradable polymers under long exposure duration
Plasma	Plasma	Low temperature, improved cell interaction, increasing wettability on surface of biodegradable polymers, fast	May cause changes in chemical and mechanical properties of polymers, leave reactive species
Chemical treatment	EtO	Effective, low temperature	Induce structural property change, leave toxic residue, flammable, explosive, carcinogenic
	Peracetic acid	Low temperature, effective	Structural and biochemical properties change, residual acidic environment
	Ethanol	Low temperature, low cost, no complex equipment, no toxic residue, fast	Not effective, structural and biochemical property change of scaffolds
	Iodine	Low temperature, no structural property change, fast	Affect biochemical property
Novel techniques	sCO2	No toxic residue, no biochemical property change	May affect porosity and morphology of scaffolds
	Antibiotics	Convenient, simple	Harmful residue, not effective
	Freeze-drying	Low temperature, no structure property change, no toxic residue	Not effective, may affect the biochemical properties of scaffold

UV: ultraviolet; EtO: ethylene oxide; sCO₂: supercritical carbon dioxide.